Automobile door lock



April 1943- A. s. THOMPSON 2,317,699

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK Filed Aug. 21, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 75 I 1 /4 r I INVENTOR. 1 7 611438 441? c5. 0M

AUTOMOBILE noon LOCK %9 g 56 a n INVENTOR. i 63 5 67 t 444/ Q3; dfo w o/aow,

Z 54 0 BY 7 J9 %L V A 7708/95 V Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,317,699 AUTOMOBILE noon LOOK Arthur S. Thompson, Ontario, Calif.

Application August 21,1941, 'Serial No. 407,796

6 Claims. (01. 292 -166) This invention relates to a lock for an automobile door and has as one of its objects to provide a locfwhich may be mounted in an automobile door of conventional. construction and may be secured from within the automobile or through the medium of a key by a person standng outside the automobile, the lock being also provided with a bolt adapted to be retracted by a person within the automobile or by a person standing outside the car.

Another object of theinvention is to provide the lock with bolt actuating means consisting of a plunger slidable through a door and having a head at its inner 'end formed with a cam surface for retrac g the bolt of the look when the plunger is shifted outwardly, the plunger being urged inwardly so that the plunger may normally assume an extended position for securing the door closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide actuating means for the plunger including a lever pivotally mounted for swinging movement in the direction in which the door swings. will thus be seen that when the handle is grasped and pull exerted thereon, it will serve to retract the plunger and then serve as a handle for pulling the door outwardiy to open position and the door may be easily released and opened with one hand.

Another object of the invention is to so form the plunger and bolt that the head of the plunger has interfltting. engagement with the bolt and is guided during its inward or outward movement and its cam edge at all times held in contact with a companion cam surface of the bolt.-

Another object of the invention is to provide the lock with a.bolt which is slidably mounted for horizontal movement fromextended position to retracted position and has a renewable wearplate for engagement by the head of the actuating plunger by means of which the bolt is shifted to its retracted position. 1

Anotherobject of the inventionis to "providethe lock with a handle so connected with the plunger that it is-drawn into a pocket formed in the outer face of the-automobile door by a.

Fig. 2 ,is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a. handle swung out of its .pocket and the bolt retracted to release the door.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 41s a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing the latches in position to secure the bolt in an extended position. Q Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the latches in position to release the bolt and permit retraction thereof. I 3

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the bolt'retracted. V

Fig. '8 is a view of the lock showing portions in perspective and portions in section.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the plunger'by Fig. 15 is a sectional view on the line l5-l5 I of Fi 12.

Fig. 16 is a view looking down on the plunger.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view onrthe' line H of Fig. 16.

This improved lock is primarily intended for use on the door of an automobile but it isto be understood that its use is not limited to such a door, as it may be used on the door of a refrigerator or any other door for which it is found adapted.

A portion of a door is shown in the drawings and indicated in general by the numeral I, it

being understood that the door is of conventional I construction and hinged at one side, the free side of the door having an'internal bar 2 formed of wood. .There has also been shown a portion of a side wallof the automobile body formed with the usual doorway 3 having, at the usual location, a socket "4' to receive the bolt 01 the lock. The door is opened and closed in theusual manner and when closed is held shut by the bolt entering the socket.

The lock is provided with a casing 5 formed of metal and has a shell 6 detachably secured by a suitable number of screws I which are passed through the shell and engaged in threaded openings 8 formed in the faceplate 9 forming a part of the casing 5-. A flange l0 extends outwardly I socket 4 of the doorway.

from the forward edge of the face plate opposite the forward end wall. ll of the shell 6, and this end wall is formed with a passage or opening l2 which registers with the socket 4 when the door is closed andithr ough which the bolt of door, the sleeve passes through the bar 2 of the 1 door and is engaged in the sleeve or neck |4 which extends partially through the barand is carried by a socket |5 countersunk in-th'e bar and secured to the barby screws IS. A slot I1 is formed at the junction of one side of the sleeve l3 with the face plate and opposite the sleeve, the shell 6 is formed with a slot l8 which extends parallel to the portion of the slot formed in the face and is of a length corresponding to thisportion of the slot I1 and the diameter of the sleeve l3. A shield H is secured outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. The

against the shell 6 by screws and is formed with an opening 2| located rearwardly of the slot l8.

The bolt 22 extends longitudinally through the casing 5 with its bill 23 passing through the open- Y ing l2 for engagement in the socket 4 of the -doorway and since the bill is formed with the usual cam surface, the bolt will be shifted in 30 wardly to retracted position as the door is closed and then move outwardly to extended position to enter the socket and secure the door. The rear end portion of the bolt is of reduced thickness to form a shank 24 which slidably passes through an opening 25 formed in the rear wall of the shell 6 and terminates in a stem 26 to which is. attached the front end of a pull rod 21. The

. pull rod extends'transversely of the door and is.

to have its rear end connected with a conventional handle so that an occupant of the auto- 'mobileimay operate the handle and exert pull upon the rod 21 when it is desired to retract the bolt and open the door. A slot 28 having a side opening 29 is formed through the bolt and extends? longitudinally thereof with its rear end terminating at the front end of the shank 24. A wear-plate 30 is mounted in the rear end portion' of the slot 29 ,by screws" 3| and has its forward end cut diagonally to form a cam surface 32 for cooperating with an actuating plunger during retraction of the bolt, as will be hereinafter set forth. The rear end of the bolt and the exposed rear end of the wear-platefofin a shoulder 33 against which bears the upper free endof a spring 34 anchored to the lug 35 carried by. the face plate 9 of the casing. This spring is in the form of a coil and its outer convolution isbent to form an arm 35 extending upwardly back of the shoulder-33 and terminating in a finger 31 hearing against the shoulder. When the bolt is drawn inwardly to retracted position, the spring is wound about the lug 35 and when the bolt is released, the spring unwinds and force the bolt to its extended position for engagement in the Inorder that a person standing outside the et mmobile maygelease the lock and open the doon there has been provided a plunger "which is'snugly received in the sleeve l3 and is slidable longitudinally therein. A flat blade or head extends from the innerend of the plunger d S ably asse tnrjoueh the ot o the shell when shown in" Fig. 1,-the blade beingblade is of substantially triangular formation to provide a diagonally extending edge face constituting a cam surface 40 which bears against the camsurface 32 of the wear-plate 30, as shown in Figs; land 2. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that under normal conditions, the bolt is held in extended .position by the spring 34 and that when the plunger is drawn outwardly, the cam surface 40acts'on the cam surface 32 and causes the bolt to be shifted inwardly to retracted position, in which position the bill 23 of the bolt )is withdrawn from the socket 4 and the door may be opened. v

A handle 4| is employed for drawing the plunger outwardly and for pulling the door open. This handle has its front end pivoted in the forward end of the socket |5 by a pin 42 and normally the handle extends longitudinally in the pocket with its free end portion disposed within .a recess or pocket 43 formed in the shell of the door I. A link 44 extends longitudinally in the sleeve l3 and has its inner end pivoted in the .slot 45 formed in the plunger, by a pin 46. This link passes through a slot 41 formed in a disc 48 which is screwed into the outer end of the sleeve I3 and its outer (and extends into a pocket ,49 formed in the handle, where it is pivotally mounted by a pin 50. When the handle is grasped, and pull exerted thereon to draw it out Of the pocket 43, the handle swings about its pivot pin 42 and pull is exerted on the'link to draw the plunger outwardly and slide the bolt 5|, which is coiled about the link withits ends bearingagainst'the disc 48 andthe" outer end or the plunger, expands and forces the plunger inwardly so that the handle will be retumed'to its normal position, shown'in Fig. 1, and the head or blade 39 will be moved into the slot I8 and permit the spring 34 to shift the bolt longitudinally to extended position for engaging in the socket 4 when the door is closed.' The springs 34 and 5| are under-tension at all times and exert pressure which will yieldably hold the bolt and the plunger in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and prevent rattling noises.

It is desired to permit the bolt to be secured in its extended position, .or looking position, by a person within the automobile or by & D61SOI1 standing outside the automobile. The latch for operation from within the automobile consists of a'shaft 5 2 rotatably mounted through the casing above the bolt 22 and carrying an arm 53 which extends laterally from the shaft and is fixed thereto by a pin 54 passing through the sleeve 55 of the arm and through the shaft, as shown in Fig. 4, so that when the shaft is turned, the arm will be swung from the releasing position to a latching position, in which position its free end engages back of the abutment pin or lug 56 and prevents the bolt from being slid rearwardly to Lretracted position. A knob 51, mounted on the shaftand protruding through the opening 2| in the shield 9, serves as a turning member forthe shaft and is to be grasped by the occupant of the automobile when the latch is to be moved into or out of latching Position- To permit a person standing outside the auto-.

shaft 58 which extends transversely through the casing under the bolt and is rotatably mounted through walls of the casing. This shaft is of such length that it projects outwardly from the casing a suflicient distance to have its outer end united to or formed integral with the core 59 having its outer end exposed through the shell of the door. By inserting a key in the keyhole SI of the lock, the shaft may be turned and an arm 62, which is fixed to the shaft by a pin 63 passing through its sleeve 64 and through the shaft, will be swung from a lowered position to a raised position and engage a latch 65 which normally rests on a pin 65. This latch is pivotally mounted by a pin 61 and extends rearwardly therefrom, its free end being formed with an upstanding bill 68 for engaging in a notch 69 formed across the under face of the bolt when the latch is swung upwardly to latching position.

In addition to ,serving as a support for the latch 65, the pin 66 also constitutes an abutment for engagement by the pin 63 to limit upward swinging movement of the arm 62. Downward swinging movement of the arm to lowered position is limited by engagementof the pin 63 with an abutment pin 10 projecting inwardly from the shell 6. When the arm is in its lowered position andthe latch is resting on the pin 66, the bolt may be freely moved to retracted position allowing the door to be opened, but when a person inserts a key in the keyhole GI and turns the shaft 58 to swing the arm 62 upwardly and move it into position to engage the under face of the latch 65 and swing it upwardly to dispose its bill 68 within the notch 69, the bolt will be securely not be opened by an unauthorized person who does not have a key to fit the look. It will thus be seen that the bolt maybe secured in its extended position by a person within the vehicle or by a person standing outside the vehicle.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. Incombination with a doorhinged at one side for swinging outwardly to open position, a lock for the door comprising a casing carried by the door and having a sleeve extending therefrom outwardly through the door, a socket exposed at the outer side of the door and having a shank extending inwardly and engaged with the sleeve, the door having a recess leading from the socket, a bolt slidable longitudinally in the casing for movement from extended locking position to retracted position, a plunger slidable in the sleeve and having its inner end engaging the bolt to retract the bolt when the plunger is drawn outwardly, a handle pivoted at one end in the socket and normally extending longitudinally in the socket and the recess of the door, the handle being connected with the outer end of the plunger for drawing the plunger outwardly when the handle is grasped and swung out of the recess and socket, and a spring for urging the plunger inwardly and yieldably holding the handle in its normal position.

2. A lock of the character described comprising a casing having an edge wall formed with an opening, a bolt slidable longitudinally in the easing for movement from extended locking positionthrough the opening to retracted position, a spring urging the bolt forwardly to extended position, a sleeve extending from a side of the casing about 'an'iopening' therein, a Iplunger slidable longitudinally in the sleeve, a cam extending held against inward movement and the door may 3 through the casing and engaging the bolt for shifting the bolt to retracted position when the plunger is shifted outwardly, a mounting-at the .outer end of the sleeve, a handle pivoted to the mounting and extending across the outer endof the sleeve, a link extending longitudinally in the sleeve and connecting the'handle with the outer end of the plunger, and a spring in the sleeve urging the plunger inwardly and yieldably holdingthe handle in normal position.

,3. A look of the character described comprising a casing having a, forward edge wall formed with an opening, a bolt slidable longitudinally in the casing for movement from extended position through the opening to retracted position, a spring urging the bolt forwardly to extended'position, a sleeve extending from a side of the casing about an opening therein, a plunger slidable longitudinally in the sleeve, a cam extending from the inner end of the plunger transversely through the casing and engaging the'bolt for shifting the bolt to retracted position when the plunger is shifted outwardly, a socket extending transversely of the-sleeve and having an inwardly extending hollow shank fitting about the outer end portion of said sleeve, a slotted bushing at the outer end of the shank, a handle pivoted at one end to the socket and extending transversely across the bushing, a link extending longitudinally in the sleeve with its inner end pivoted to the plunger and its outer end portion passing outwardly through the slotted bushing and pivoted to the handle to effect outward movement of the plunger and retraction of the bolt when the handle is grasped and swung outwardly, a spring in the sleeve having its outer end abutting the bushing and its inner end bearing v against the plunger and urging the plunger inwardly to a position permitting movement of the bolt to its locking position, said spring yieldably holding the handle in its normal position in the socket.

4. A look of the character described comprising a-casing having a forward edge wall formed with an opening, a bolt slidable longitudinally in the casing for movement from an extended position through the opening to retracted position, a plunger slidable transversely through the easing and having a head at its inner end formed with a diagonally extending side edge face constituting a cam surface, the bolt being formed with a longitudinal slot through which the head passes, a wear plate in the slot having a diagonal cam surface, the head of the plunger having its cam surface in face to face engagement with the cam surface of the wear plate and serving to shift the bolt inwardly to retracted position when the plunger is shifted outwardly, means for shifting the plunger outwardly and effecting retraction of the bolt, a spring urging the plunger inwardly, and a spring urging the bolt to extended position as the plunger moves inwardly.

5. A lock of the character described comprising a casing having a forward edge wall formed with an opening, a bolt slidable longitudinally in the casing for movement from extended locking position through the opening to retracted position, a plunger slidable transversely throughthe casing and adapted to retract the bolt when "shifted outwardly, a handle for shifting the plunger outwardly, and means for releasably holding the bolt in extended position consisting of a shaft rotatably mounted through the casing transversely of the bolt, a shell carried by said casing, a head for said. shaft passing through an opening in the shell and exposed for operation by a person within an automobile, an arm extending laterally from the shaft within the casing, and w an abutment upon the bolt in position forengaget ment by the arm to secure the bolt extended when 4 t the shaft is turned in one direction.

6. A lock of the character described comprising a casing having a forwardedgewall formed with an opening, abolt slidable longitudinally in the casing for movement from. extended locking position through the opening toretracted position, a, plunger slidable transversely through the casing and adapted to ,retract the bolt when shifted outwardly, a handle for shifting the p from the casing and provided with turning means plunger outwardly when moved in a. direction to open a. door, a spring urging the bolt toward extended position, and means for relasably holding the bolt in its extended position consisting of ashaft rotatably mounted through the casing transversely of the bolt with one end protruding accessible to a person within a. vehicle, a. pin

' extending from-the bolt, and an'arm carried by said shaft and extending laterally therefrom in position for engaging the pin and securing the bolt in extended position when the shaft is turned in one direction.

ARTHUR S. THOMPSON. 

